Hull FC boss Tony Smith plays down significance of win on return to Hull KR

After suffering a humiliating 40-0 defeat in the first derby of the season on home soil, the Black and Whites set the record straight with a 16-6 victory in the backyard of their fiercest rivals.

Smith, who coached the Robins from 2019 to 2022, was front and centre but he played down the significance of the result.

"I don't get the highs and lows of it," he said.

"I've had to cop it in the past and don't mind it. I'll get a few people that remind me about my time here – some people are happy with it and some aren't.

"As long as I can look myself in the mirror, hold my head high and say I did everything I could whilst I was here, I'm fine. I move on.

"I don't make a big deal of it. It's a good place to come and get two points because it's a tough one. I know from being on the inside how hard it is for teams to come here and get a result.

"For that reason, I'm pleased for the players who work so hard and are buying into the fact that every game is as important as the derby.

"Our job is to perform every week. Do we underestimate the derby? No we don't, we try to put everything into it, but I'm going to ask them to do the same next week. It's what we've got to become."

The Black and Whites have won six of their last nine games to give themselves an outside chance of making the play-offs.

Smith admitted Hull were far from their best in a low-quality game.

"Different people will have different emotions to get themselves up for that performance but you can overdo it sometimes and I thought we were a bit flat in the first half," he said.

"I'm not going to sit here and be overly buoyant about every aspect just because we won and say it papers over the cracks because it's not me. But I'm delighted we showed some grit and graft and it was only 6-0 at half-time."

Rovers have now lost six of their last seven Super League matches after a promising start to Willie Peters' tenure.

Peters has called on his team to rediscover their identity as they fight to keep their season alive.

"We're in a tough spot, there's no doubt about that," he said.

"In terms of personnel we're losing people each and every week, and what I want to see through this period is that we remain who we are.

"We've been a team who work hard for each other all year and I can't fault today, but it comes down to experienced players and FC had some experienced players who finished the game really well.

"We're nowhere near the finished product and I said that even when we were in the top four. We need more experienced players and we haven't had that, and having them back will help us."